Is the Army Acquisition Workforce Surfing the Federal Retirement Wave to a Soft Landing?

Abstract

For several years, attrition in the defense acquisition workforce has been a serious and persistent concern among stakeholders inside and outside of government, especially attrition related to baby boomer retirement. The primary concern relates to the risk of losing critical skills and experience required to maintain and improve enterprise effectiveness. The Army Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) defines retirement brain drain as generational retirement with the potential to create a talent vacuum. While change is inevitable and institutional transitions usually involve turbulence and friction, to date the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) has maintained its base of experienced workforce members and made steady progress improving workforce balance despite the rising retirement wave. This paper presents highlights of recently completed comprehensive data analysis that provides a view of recent trends within the AAW's 14 career fields. We also demonstrate the importance of proper problem-framing in developing an accurate understanding of the current state of the AAW and what dynamics led to it.